September 17, 2012

Being no stranger to prestigious events, Kinross Curling Rink has now added its first Goldline Scottish Curling Tour event (the Kinross Open) to a 2012/13 calendar that already features successful events such as the RCCC Adult Camp, Junior Classic, Wheelchair International Invitational, and more. This event will take place from 14th-16th December.

Ice Manager Steven Kerr, and his dedicated ice staff, will make sure that you experience one of the best playing surfaces in the country; while the Green Hotel Golf & Leisure Resort will do what it can to keep you fed, watered, and entertained.

Teams looking to stay for the weekend have a vast range of local accommodation options to chose from, while teams looking to travel to/from the rink each day are in luck too: Kinross Curling Rink is located 2 minutes off the M90, and its central location is quickly & easily accessed from all directions - Perth & Stirling are 30 minutes away, while Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Dundee are within an hours drive.

Your teams’ entry fee of £200 will guarantee you at least 3 games; plus buffet food on the Saturday night subject to competition sponsorship and a full compliment of teams.

A top prize of £600 will be awarded to the winners, with lower prizes for all teams reaching the semi-finals.

For all the relevant information about the event, please visit the official blog:

Logan Gray needed to draw against three with his final stone to beat Hannah Fleming. Solid sweeping by Ross Paterson and Richard Woods brought home Logan’s shot putting the team into this year’s final. Meanwhile the young Ross Whyte team added another scalp to their tally taking down last year’s runner up Sloan. Gray and Whyte met in the group stage, Whyte the victor in that game, but can the youngsters do it again in the final?

The game of the quarter finals was between Frazer Hare and Graham Sloan, a rematch of last year's final. A tight game throughout it was Sloan who held the hammer going into the 8th. With a number of stones in play and a centre guard to avoid Graham calmly drew the 4ft with his last to take his place in the semis and to put the reigning Open champions out of the tournament.

September 15, 2012

Section 1 saw local teams finishing well with Graham Sloan,
Fraser Kingan and Ross Whyte all grabbing places in the quarters. Graham needed
to take his last end against Logan Gray to pip Team Maitland into 4th
spot. Logan Gray finished top of the section.

Team Gray, sponsored by Loudmouth, brightening up the ice hall.

Section 2 gave spectators an exciting finish. Fraser Hare
had already qualified in top spot and took a big early 6 against Team David
Jones to then hold out for the win. However, Team Jones could just be thrown a
lifeline if Hannah Fleming was to beat Alan Hannah. Fleming also not yet
assured of her place in the quarters was two shots down with three to play but
took a three and then stole the last two to see her through along with a
relieved Jones team. The final place was filled by team Gavin Fleming who
recovered from a poor performance on Friday to snatch a qualifying spot
following three wins on the Saturday.

The first event on the 2012/13 Scottish Curling Tour is now underway in Dumfries. The event is in its second year and has increased in size to twenty teams all competing for the title of Ice Bowl Open Champion. This year’s field includes a number of top national sides plus visitors from the Netherlands, Latvia and Wales.

The format of the tournament is two ten team sections, each with five games of play under the Schenkel system. The top four teams from each section on Saturday night will progress to the quarter finals.

Leading the way in Section 1 Team Latvia are tied at the top with Team Logan Gray. These two teams having shared the points with a closely fought tie in their second game of Friday’s session.

In Section 2, current holders Team Frazer Hare continue their dominance in Dumfries winning three games out of three as of Saturday morning. The gathering group on two wins consists of Alan Hannah, Graham Shedden, David Jones and Hannah Fleming.Team Latvia.

September 12, 2012

The 2013 Petrofac Aberdeen City Open will be the final event on this season's tour.

The event will be held from 1st-3rd February 2013. Games will begin at 12.30pm Friday 1st February. 24 teams can be accommodated split into two sections of 12. The final will be held at 3pm on Sunday 3rd February. All teams will be guaranteed four games under the Schenkel System.

A separate Hot Shots competition will be held on Sunday 3rd February for eliminated teams with cash prizes.

September 02, 2012

Current Junior World Champion Hannah Fleming has a change to her line up this season with Jennifer Dodds coming in at second to replace Alice Spence who has now aged out of the juniors. Lauren Gray and Abi Brown remain at third and lead. Debbie Knox will be their support coach.

Their main ambition for this season is to successfully defend the Scottish and World Junior titles won last year. They also wish to make their mark on the ladies circuit and being previous runners up in the ladies who would bet against them achieving their goals.

Hannah stated that all the competing teams at the juniors will pose a threat to them. Teams are likely to raise their game against them so she is expecting to have to play at their best at all times.

Team Fleming are competing in 3 SCT events (Dumfries, Braehead and Kinross). They are also playing in 2 ladies competitions overseas in Basel and Bern along with going back to Ottowa for the Junior Superspiel. They will also be at the Lockerbie Junior Invitational and the Aberdeen Ladies Open, along with the Scottish Juniors and Scottish Ladies Championships. This certainly seems like a very busy schedule for the girls.

Hannah felt that the SCT event they enjoyed the most last season was the Dumfries Ice Bowl Open as it was great fun and allowed her team to get into the swing of the new season early against some challenging opposition.

We look forward to seeing Hannah and her team at Dumfries in mid September and wish them all the best for their busy season ahead.